Living only fifteen minutes from the City via the George Washington Bridge, you'd think I'd get in more often. Yet the truth is that since being diagnosed with fibromyalgia, it's getting harder for me to do so. I will, however, on occasion drive my car in. For the most part, I have no problem finding parking in the street, as was the case this Sunday when we attended Emily's inaugural yoga class. And whenever I'm in the City I aim to fit as much as I possibly can into my trip.
Needless to say, it turns out our girl is a great teacher. I had already preset my own standard of her abilities as a first-time instructor and she passed the test with flying colors. Because of my recent diagnosis, I need to be careful about venturing into anything that may make things worse. The message on Emily's top, which read, "
Take me to Nirvana" was definitely a precursor to putting me (and everyone else) in a positive frame of mind.
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| Emily in front of giraffe with Victoria on left and moi on right |
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| another shot of the group..... |
Because the yoga class was held on Chrystie Street, a mere steps from Canal Street which leads right into the classical Manhattan Bridge Arch and into the Manhattan Bridge, after our class I invited the girls to tour the area with me. As I'm sure often happens with most folk who live so close to any famous city, I am totally guilty of not taking full advantage of what this exciting city has to offer.
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| Posing in front of the Manhattan Bridge Arch |
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Our yogi
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The renovated Manhattan Bridge |
For starters, there's Chinatown which is always a thrill to traverse on foot. I love the variety of goods for sale, from all kinds of fruits and vegetables, clothing and accessories, to just about anything else under the sun. The scents and smells that emanate from this part of the City is unlike anything else. The smell of both rotten and fresh fish invigorated my nostrils and brought me back to the present. A couple of steps down, a young Asian couple seemed at odds—the girl pleading with the boy, as tears rolled down her pretty but pale porcelain face. Across the street at the five-block outdoor park that runs parallel to Chrystie, a concert of sorts was taking place, infusing the air with somewhat unfamiliar sounds of music. And I could go on.
Upon my recommendation, after our sojourn through probably Manhattan's most colorful neighborhood, with Emily leading the way, we walked in a northerly-western direction in search of healthy fare. After all we had just done yoga and were in a healthy-food state-of-mind. We passed on pasta at Little Italy and continued up Bowery to Kenmare to Spring, where after careful consideration we decided on Spring Street Natural Food on the edge of Soho. This is, without doubt, one of the best natural food offerings on this side of the island. Emily has brought several out of town guests here and they have all loved the food. Although the pictures don't do the dishes much justice, take my word everything was superbly fresh and delicious, from the carefully stacked beet salad in a ginger-honey dressing, to the veggie burgers and the roasted chicken salad.
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Roasted Chicken Salad |
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| all natural veggie burger.... |
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Beet Salad.....
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Clean and aesthetically pleasing atmosphere.... |
All in all, the day trip was perfect from beginning to end. No, I didn't end up driving Emily home to Brooklyn, but she got herself home on the subway even before Victoria and I got back home.
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